Canada Revenue Agency Tax Refund Phishing Scam

For several years, fraudulent emails claiming to be from the Canada Revenue Agency have been targeting Canadian taxpayers. The emails inform you that you are eligible for a tax refund.

You are instructed to click a link, ostensibly to access an online form and begin the process of claiming the supposed tax refund.

However, the emails are not from the Canada Revenue Agency and the supposed tax refund does not exist. In fact, the message is a scam designed to trick you into divulging your personal information to Internet criminals.

Recipients who fall for the ruse and click on the link included in the emails will be taken to a bogus website designed to resemble a genuine Canada Revenue Agency web page. Once on the bogus page, the recipient will be asked to provide sensitive financial information such as credit card numbers and bank account details.

The financial information submitted on the fake tax refund form can then be collected by scammers and used for fraud and identity theft. Other Canadian versions of the scam have targeted Canada’s Department of Finance. And criminals have used the same bogus tax refund scheme to target other jurisdictions including, the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom.

In order to make their claims seem more believable, the scammers often include seemingly official tax department logos, copyright notices and secondary links that lead to the genuine tax department website. Internet users should be very cautious of any emails that purport to be from their nation’s tax department that ask them to provide personal information by following a link or opening an attachment. No legitimate taxation body is likely to inform taxpayers about a possible refund and ask them to provide personal information via an unsolicited email.

This video from the Hoax-Slayer YouTube channel provides more information about such scams:

An example of the scam post:

CANADA REVENUE AGENCY,

Dear Customer,

After the last calculation of your fiscal activity,

we have determnined that you are eligible to receive a refund of 210.98 CAD.

You must complete your form, and give to us ten working days to process your claim

As soon as your refund is confirmed, your money will be send immediately to your bank account.

Complete Your Tax Refund Form {Link reemoved]

Please do not reply to this email. We are unable to respond to inquiries sent to this address.

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